Ground Force presenter Tommy Walsh has died aged 69

RIP

Reports previously revealed that Walsh had been treated for throat cancer, undergoing surgery in 2022, before receiving a lung cancer diagnosis in 2023.

His agent, Debbie Schiesser, confirmed that he died peacefully at home with his family by his side. She also asked the public to give his loved ones space to grieve.

"As this has only just happened, we would ask everyone to please respect the family's privacy," she said.

Walsh spent much of his career on screen, but his move into television came about almost by chance.

He was working as a builder when a BBC producer asked him to watch two pilot shows, one of which would later become Ground Force.

He was not convinced by what he saw. Looking back on the experience in a 2004 interview with the BBC, Walsh said: "It was like watching paint dry - it was terrible."

Despite his initial reaction, he eventually became one of the programme's presenters and went on to build a career in television.

His final screen appearance came on Homes Under the Hammer, with an episode broadcast on Tuesday, 3 November. 

Filmed in Halesowen, in the West Midlands, it featured Walsh inspecting a Grade II listed cottage that was due to go to auction and needed a complete renovation.